A presentation by Superintendent Rai (Thames Valley Police).

Superintendent Rai gave Members an update on the Thames Valley Police.

With regard to Priority Based Budgeting it was noted that there would be financial constraints for the next five years or longer which would no doubt result in less resources being available.  The Thames Valley Police had looked at what they do, how they do it and how they would fund it.  Superintendent Rai explained that it was about risk assessing offences and ensuring they were properly resourced.  It was noted that it was about listing down prioritised things that the TVP needed to ensure they had the right resources for and deciding how best to allocate them.  Members were informed that people based crime and cyber crime had changed / were emerging.  It was noted that the Thames Valley Police had looked at what the demand profile would look like over the next few years. 

It was noted that the Thames Valley Police currently dealt with local crime (including serious assaults) at force level.  It was noted that Superintendent Rai had volunteered her services to help with work streams in order to ensure they were appropriate for Windsor and Maidenhead and worked for local residents. 

Superintendent Rai explained that the changes to the structure aimed to be fairly seamless with no reduction in service externally so that priorities could be made and resources could be moved around as necessary.

Members were informed that the major crime unit would be retained which would allow Superintendent Rai to have the flexibility to concentrate resources on high stress areas.

It was noted that the strapline around finances meant the Thames Valley Police were trying to protect their workforce so they were able to commit to doing the job in hand.  Superintendent Rai explained that if a choice had to be made between spending money on a building or keeping the number of frontline staff in place she would always protect her staff.

In the ensuing discussion the following points were noted:

Ø  Superintendent Rai explained that she would still have a local budget to do partnership work with but that it would probably be smaller than in past years.

Ø  That the local budget could be spent on what Superintendent Rai felt appropriate.

Ø  That residents seemed to currently be bothered by fraud (people phoning or knocking on doors).  Superintendent Rai explained that the way the police dealt with fraud had changed over the years and was now done via a filtering process called Action Fraud.  It was noted that the Thames Valley Police communicated to residents that the Thames Valley Police were addressing the issue by educating people and by looking at preventative measures / work.

Ø  The Chairman explained that there had also been a spate of identity thefts in areas of the Royal Borough, by stealing post.  Superintendent Rai explained that it was about ensuring messages were appropriate and timely to local residents via the alert system.  It was noted that the Thames Valley Police needed to look at problem solving in order to reduce repeat offences.

Ø  Superintendent Rai explained that she envisaged having neighbourhood teams that were multi-skilled e.g. having a mental health nurse available if the Police needed a mental health assessment quickly which would avoid unnecessary duplication.

Ø  Superintendent Rai explained that there were no plans to disband PCSO’s although she could not promise the same numbers in the future.  It was noted that the Council paid for four PCSO’s and would continue to do so.

Ø  Superintendent Rai explained that new technology allowed officers to file reports whilst out on duty.  It was noted that the Thames Valley Police were always looking for the right technology for the right role that works. 

Ø  Superintendent Rai explained that whilst she couldn’t say whether there had been a rise in social media crimes she did believe that harassment via social media was an area that needed investment. 

Ø  Parish Councillor Mrs Lenton stated that she was glad to hear that the Thames Valley Police were not going to eliminate soft issues because a PCSO speaking to Age Concern helped reduce the chance of the elderly becoming victims of crime.  Superintendent Rai stated that vulnerability of the elderly was definitely a key area that needed to be addressed.

Ø  Superintendent Rai explained that she was trying to get the national media on board so that negative messages were not reported in the way that they had been in the past which were felt to have been misleading.

The Chairman requested that Superintendent Rai send the Clerk the latest crime figures so they could be sent out with the minutes.